A plate of Japanese curry rice with beef and vegetables

Beginner

Japanese Curry Rice (Kare Raisu)

Name: Japanese Curry Rice (Kare Raisu)
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 400 g Beef or chicken, in chunks; 2 Onions, sliced; 2 Carrots, chunked; 2 Potatoes, chunked; 1 tbsp Neutral oil; 720 ml Water or stock; half a pack Japanese curry roux blocks (or curry powder + flour); 1 tbsp Grated apple or a spoon of honey; 4 bowls Hot cooked rice

Beef or chicken and sweet vegetables simmered into a thick, mild, glossy curry ladled beside a mound of rice — Japan's ultimate comfort dinner.

Source

Recipe by Japanese home kitchens · 🏠 Home cook

Japanese home-style / 日本の家庭料理 — Curry reached Japan in the Meiji era, arriving by way of the British rather than directly from India. The Japanese navy adapted it — thickening the sauce with flour and serving it over rice — into the mild, thick kare raisu now considered a national comfort food.

Background on Wikipedia ↗

Watch it being made · 3 videos

MacFooodiez Belleroni P.J. Kenji López-Alt

⏱ 60 min🍽 4 servings🔥 650 kcal🇯🇵 Japan🌶️

Dairy-freeNut-free

Steps

Brown the meat in oil in a heavy pot, then lift it out and set aside.
Fry the onions slowly until deep golden and sweet — this browning is what gives the curry its depth.
Return the meat, add carrot and potato, pour in the water, and simmer until everything is tender.
Turn off the heat, break in the curry roux, and stir until it dissolves completely with no lumps.
Stir in the grated apple, return to a low heat, and simmer gently until the sauce is thick and glossy.
Serve the curry alongside a mound of rice, letting them meet on the plate.

💡 Tips

Cooking the onions dark and sweet is the single biggest flavor step — don't rush it.
A little grated apple, honey or chocolate rounds out the sauce, a common home trick.
It tastes even better the next day, once the flavors settle overnight.